Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automobile headlamp in which a plurality of projection light source units, each including a projection lens, a cut-off line forming shade, light-emitting element as a light source, and a reflector reflecting light emitted from the light-emitting element forward, are disposed in a lamp chamber and in which light distribution patterns of the plurality of projection light source units are synthesized to form a light distribution pattern of the headlamp.
Related Art
In recent years, vehicular marker lamps in which a light-emitting element such as a light-emitting diode is the light source have been employed for automobile headlamps and the like.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an automobile headlamp in which a plurality of each of projection light source units for forming a low beam with a light-emitting element as a light source and projection light source units for forming a high beam with a light-emitting element as a light source in the same manner are disposed in a lamp chamber.
The projection light source unit for forming a low beam includes a projection lens, a cut-off line forming shade, the light-emitting element, and a reflector, and the projection light source unit for forming a high beam includes a projection lens, the light-emitting element, and a reflector.
Patent Document 2 discloses a vehicular projection light source unit including a projection lens, a cut-off line forming shade, a light-emitting element, and a reflector. The light-emitting elements and the reflectors are respectively provided on both upper and lower sides of the cut-off line forming shade formed to extend forward and approximately horizontally such that a tip thereof is situated in the vicinity of a rearward focal point of the projection lens. A low-beam distribution pattern having a predetermined cut-off line is formed by a light source unit section on the upper side formed of the projection lens, the shade, the light-emitting element on the upper side, and the reflector on the upper side (by lighting the light-emitting element on the upper side). An additional high-beam distribution pattern (which is a part of a high-beam distribution pattern) having a lower end cut-off line which approximately coincides with the predetermined cut-off line is formed by a light source unit section on the lower side formed of the projection lens, the shade, the light-emitting element on the lower side, and the reflector on the lower side (by lighting the light-emitting element on the lower side). That is, the low-beam distribution pattern and the high-beam distribution pattern can be formed by a single projection light source unit.
[Patent Document 1]
U.S. Pat. No. 7,114,837
[Patent Document 2]
U.S. Pat. No. 7,387,416